Boston Sexual Abuse Lawyer Blog

A Rochester, New York man was arraigned in Berkshire Superior Court on a sexual assault charge, as 29 year old BENJAMIN C. WILLSEA appeared before Judge Daniel Ford

WILLSEA had a not guilty plea entered on his behalf on one (1) count RAPE. Judge Ford released him on personal recognizance on the condition WILLSEA have no contact with the alleged victim.

It is alleged that WILLSEA sexually assaulted an 18 year old woman, in Stockbridge, on July 24, 2011. The investigation was conducted by members of the Stockbridge Police Department.

Boston University leading hockey scorer Corey Trivino, who was drafted by the New York Islanders in 2008, was arrested Sunday night and faces multiple charges stemming from an incident with a female student, the student newspaper BU Today reported Tuesday.

Men's hockey coach Jack Parker dismissed Trivino, a senior forward, from the team.

"He is no longer associated with the BU hockey team," Parker said, according to the newspaper.

Trivino was charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery, two counts of breaking and entering in the nighttime and one count of assault with attempt to rape for allegedly entering a woman's room and attempting to kiss and fondle her against her will.

Trivino, from Toronto, was arraigned Monday and pleaded not guilty. He either could pay $25,000 bail or surrender his Canadian passport, the newspaper reported. He was ordered to leave his BU dormitory.

Dean of students Kenneth Elmore told BU Today that Trivino can attend classes until he is suspended or expelled.

"We appreciate that the judge in this case takes the matter seriously," Elmore said, according to the newspaper. "He used his process and we will use ours as fast and as thoughtfully as we can to carefully listen to all the charges and make sure that no one is harmed."

Suffolk County Assistant District Attorney Cameron Merrill told the court that witnesses claim that an intoxicated Trivino pushed his way into the woman's room and started kissing and fondling her against her will.

The woman told him to leave and he did, according to the newspaper. She then called BU police, who arrived a short time later and put Trivino under arrest.

Trivino leads Hockey East with 13 goals this season and is tied for eighth with 17 points.

Boston.com reports that a man wanted in Haverhill on a warrant accusing him of child rape has been arrested in New York City.

State police said 29-year-old Jose Alberto Gonzalez-Bonilla, also known as Jose B. Gonzalez, was traced to an address in Queens where New York City police found him hiding in a closet early Monday morning.

Haverhill police said he is accused of repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl beginning in 2009.
State police said the Essex, Mass., district attorney's office will coordinate his return with New York authorities.

A Pittsfield man has been arraigned in Berkshire Superior Court on sexual assault charges. 20 year old WILLIAM J. DANIELS, JR. (771 Tyler Street) appeared before Judge Daniel Ford.

DANIELS had not guilty pleas entered on his behalf on two (2) counts of RAPE and one (1) count of INDECENT ASSAULT AND BATTERY ON A PERSON OVER THE AGE OF 14. Judge Ford released him on personal recognizance on the condition DANIELS have no contact with the alleged victim.

The incidents are alleged to have occurred in Pittsfield between January 2, 2011 and April 1, 2011. The alleged victim is a 17 year old woman.

The investigation was conducted by members of the Pittsfield Police Department.

Sexual assault charges have been leveled against the New Jersey man accused of repeatedly raping a missing Massachusetts girl who was found at his home in November.

Jorge Luis Garzon, 45, of Jersey City was charged with aggravated sexual assault, child endangerment and child abuse according to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, as quoted by NJ.com.

Garzon, a divorced father of two, was arrested after Jersey City police and the New York City Police Department's Missing Persons Squad arrived at parent's his Winfield Avenue home to look for the missing 13-year-old girl, according to The Jersey Journal.

The girl had been missing from Wayland, Mass. since Nov. 4, when she apparently boarded a Peter Pan bus in Boston. She was last seen on New York Port Authority security tape getting off the bus in New York City around 11 p.m. that night.
Her family said they believed she ran away due to boredom with life in the small town of just over 12,000 residents about 20 miles west of Boston.

The missing girl met Garzon over the Internet, according to a NJ.com source close to the investigation who was not authorized to discuss the case.

The investigation, headed by Sgt. Jamie Berger and Det. Ruth Backman of the Wayland Police Department, led the duo to travel to New York City after receiving a tip that the girl may have ran away to Brooklyn since her father once lived there.

According to published reports, the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office has not provided any details about how long the girl was in New Jersey or what led police to Garzon's home.

A Superior Court judge has denied a request for lower bail by a University of Utah professor who allegedly watched child pornography on his laptop on a flight to Boston last weekend, according to the Boston Globe.

Grant D. Smith, 47, of Cottonwood Heights was arrested last Saturday at Logan International Airport after a fellow passenger on the flight from Salt Lake City allegedly spotted what he was viewing. Smith was arraigned in East Boston District Court on Monday.

Smith's attorney asked Judge Carol Ball to reduce his $75,000 cash bail under a statute that allows a defendant in district court to petition a superior court judge for bail reduction.

Ball denied Smith's petition without prejudice, meaning he can seek review at a later date.

"Based on the facts of the case, additional charges are probable and in fact quite likely," said Assistant Suffolk District Attorney David Deakin.

Deakin added Smith's bail was necessary to ensure his appearance at future court dates.

"He has no ties to the Commonwealth," he said. "His ties to Utah appear to be weakening by the day ... It appears he has as many ties to Korea and Malaysia as he does to Massachusetts."

Smith told officers he traded images of teens online. Police recovered from his computer images of children as young as 5 years old in sexual contact with men, prosecutors said.

Smith was arrested for possession of child pornography, which is punishable by up to five years in state prison. A person convicted of that offense must also register as a sex offender.

Smith is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 27.

A Stoughton woman offered an undercover state trooper 12 women who would perform sex services during a "private party" at her Brockton spa for $1,720, the Enterprise News reported.
Terry Mussari, 45, pleaded not guilty to charges of deriving support from prostitution during a brief arraignment in Brockton District Court. She was released on $2,000 cash bail, and is scheduled back in court on Jan. 9.
State police and the FBI raided three spas owned by Mussari, including Aria Day Spa in Brockton, Sparkle Day Spa in Canton and Spa Bellissimo in Norwood, following an investigation into prostitution and illicit drug dealing.
Investigators said the spas were offering sex between masseuses and their clients in exchange for cash that was characterized as "tips." Authorities also said employees of the spa were selling narcotics to customers as well as to each other.
Prosecutor Dean Mazzone said Mussari ran "basically a prostitution ring."
Mussari's lawyer, William Sims, said during her arraignment that she owned a home in Stoughton, was married with a daughter and had no prior convictions.
Mussari was the owner of an Easton spa that was also investigated for prostitution in 2003.
On Monday, the sign on the door of Aria Day Spa said it opened at 10 a.m., but the lights were off and the door was locked,
Authorities also arrested Tiffany Burgess, 31, of Raynham on multiple outstanding arrest warrants. She was released on $200 cash bail, but has not been charged in connection with the raid.

NEW BEDFORD Police have arrested a registered Level 3 sex offender after reportedly stumbling upon an attempted rape.

William H. Fuller, 51, who is homeless, was charged with kidnapping, assault to murder and assault to rape. He will appear for a dangerousness hearing in New Bedford District Court.

Fuller, who has a 1998 conviction for indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, is classified as a Level 3 sex offender, considered the most dangerous and likely to reoffend, according to the Massachusetts Sex Offender Registry.

A court psychologist said during Fuller's arraignment in District Court that he has a longstanding history of substance abuse and has been committed twice this year to Bridgewater State Hospital.

Sgt. Matt Rayner, head of the New Bedford Police Department's juvenile and sexual assault unit, said patrol officers responded to an unrelated disturbance around 3:45 a.m. Saturday in the West End when they heard the alleged victim's voice.

Rayner declined to release additional details, citing the state's rape shield laws, but said the responding officers aided the victim at the scene and "prevented things from getting worse."

A Gardner man who spent 14 years as a city police officer has resigned from the force.

Larry Landry was placed on paid leave when he was arrested last month on charges of statutory rape of a child, indecent assault and battery on a child under age 14 and assault to rape a child. He sent his resignation letter to the mayor last week.

Prosecutors say the 35-year-old Landry assaulted the boy starting in kindergarten until the sixth-grade. The alleged incidents took place in Winchendon.

Landry has pleaded not guilty and his lawyer said he has served honorably.

Landry and another man were separately charged with indecent assault and battery on a 20-year-old woman.

A Gardner city police officer was arraigned yesterday on charges that he molested a juvenile, as reported by the Worcester Telegram.

Larry J. Landry, 35, was charged with statutory rape of a child, indecent assault and battery on a child under age 14, and assault to rape a child.

He is being held on $50,000 cash or $500,000 with surety bail in Worcester County Jail.

No formal plea was entered for Landry, and he is due back in court on Oct. 5 for a pretrial hearing.

Assistant District Attorney Brian D'Andrea told the court that Landry was arrested Monday after the juvenile told Gardner police he had been molested by Landry.

The molestation allegedly took place in Winchendon from the time the boy was in kindergarten until he was in the sixth grade.

After learning of the allegations, Landry turned himself in to Gardner police.

He was arrested and placed on paid leave by Chief Neil Erickson.

In arguing for the high bail, D'Andrea said that because of the nature of the charges, Landry is a severe flight risk.

But in seeking lower bail, Martin B. Kallio Jr., Landry's lawyer, said his client is 35, is separated from his wife, and has children ages 16, 11, and 6.

"He has been a police officer for 14 years - all of that honorable - and was acting sergeant for several months,'' he said.

After the hearing, Kallio said his client denies all charges, the Telegram reported.

"These allegations are outrageous,'' he said. "He denies them vociferously.''

A Pawtucket man has been arrested after a Massachusetts teen told her guidance counselor that he arranged for another man to repeatedly rape her when she was 11.

The Providence Journal reports that John Rainey, a relative of the alleged victim, was arrested and charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit child molestation.

The alleged assailant, Warren Prescott of North Attleboro, Mass., was ordered held without bail on charges including three counts of first-degree child molestation.

Pawtucket police say the alleged victim, now 17, told her counselor in May, and police obtained an arrest warrant for Rainey in August.

Police say that Rainey would tell the girl she had to come with him and bring her to Prescott.

Two Massachusetts men have been arrested and charged in connection with a global online child pornography ring that encouraged users to upload graphic sexual assaults of victims aged 12 and under, officials told the Boston Globe.

Rush Frank Blankenship of Westfield is scheduled to plead guilty to federal child pornography charges in September in Louisiana, and David Michael Whitten of Lynn pleaded guilty to a related charge in that state in June, court records show.

According to the Department of Justice, the men are two of the 72 defendants charged in the United States and abroad who were members of the website Dreamboard, which authorities began investigating in 2009.

Members uploaded images of young children being abused to gain access to the site, authorities said, and they had to continue posting new content to maintain membership. Users were grouped into tiers based in part on how often they provided content and whether they personally produced the images, according to the Justice Department, and posting violent assaults of children was encouraged.

Users in higher tiers could access more content, authorities said.

Whitten will be sentenced in October and faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment and a $250,000 fine, records show. He posted three visual files to Dreamboard over two days in November 2009, including one involving an 8-year-old girl.

Details of Blankenship's indictment and plea agreement were not available yesterday.

Of the 72 defendants, 13 have pleaded guilty and 20 remain at large, according to the Department of Justice.

Suspects have been arrested in 13 other countries including Canada, Kenya, Serbia, and Switzerland, authorities said, and more than 500 users have been targeted.

The Justice Department said the investigation, dubbed Operation Delego, has resulted in the largest prosecution in the United States of users accessing an online bulletin board created for the sole purpose of promoting child sexual abuse.

A New Scotland (NY) man is being held in the Albany County Jail on attempted murder and rape charges. 23-year-old Adam Croote allegedly raped and tried to kill a 10-year-old girl in Berne.

Croote was a longtime family friend of the victim, and was a person the young girls' parents trusted to watch their child.

In 2005 Croote was designated a Level 2 Sex Offender in Massachusetts after being convicted of a sex offense against a 25-year-old female.

At 17 in Wendell, Mass., he sexually assaulted a woman who worked at a residential school for sexually abusive youths while she was driving him to school from a doctor's appointment, according to a Worcester Telegram & Gazette report from 2005. He then grabbed the wheel of the van and turned it toward a stone wall, causing a crash, and ran away until a police dog found him.

He has been arrested in New York for failing to register as a sex offender in the past.

In addition to the rape and attempted murder charges, Croote is also charged with 6 felonies, and 2 misdemeanors, including strangulation, forcible touching and criminal obstruction of breathing,

Croote is being held in the Albany County Jail without bail.

A retired Episcopal priest from Marblehead is facing felonious sexual assault charges involving two incidents in New Hampshire with a child under age 13, according to the Associated Press.

Police in Bedford, N.H., have charged 78-year-old Franklin Huntress after a two-month investigation into incidents in the 1980s. Police say Huntress was arrested June 30 and extradited to New Hampshire, where he was arraigned Wednesday in Hillsborough County Superior Court. He was released later on $25,000 cash bail.

At the time of the incidents, Huntress did not live in New Hampshire, but was invited back for a community function. Police said Huntress served at Grace Church in Manchester from 1971 to 1975.

Police declined to elaborate to the AP on the crimes or victims.

Bishop Thomas Shaw removed him from the priesthood on Feb. 11 after a church investigation into allegations of child abuse. Huntress had voluntarily resigned rather than face a church trial conducted by officials of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.

He had been associated with St. Michael's in Marblehead and Church of the Holy Name in Swampscott in his retirement, occasionally serving at the altar but not on staff. Parishioners were notified of the allegations back in February.

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WCVB reports that at the request of Assistant District Attorney Cameron Merrill, the open bail of Joseph Lee "Vocals" Brown, 22, of Cambridge, was revoked by Judge David T. Donnelly and a new bail of $50,000 was set after Brown allegedly sexually assaulted a 19-year-old female near Soldier's Field Road.

Brown, who was on open bail due to a separate assault and larceny case, was arraigned Tuesday in Brighton District Court facing allegations he raped a female acquaintance.
According to a investigation by Massachusetts State Police, Brown knew the victim and met up with her in Harvard Square before walking to the Charles River to see the fireworks. Police said the victim reported that Brown made many sexual advances, all of which were refused.

Brown then pushed the victim to the ground and began raping her, police said. The victim fled on foot and called a friend who contacted police, according to the victim's statements. The victim was then taken to Cambridge Hospital where she received treatment for a minor head wound and a rape kit was administered.

Police soon after arrested Brown and brought him to the state barracks, because the area where the alleged attack took place is state property. Brown acknowledged he had sex with the victim but offered conflicting reports of the details, according to the Suffolk District Attorney's Office.

Brown was ordered to not have any contact with the victim and will appear in court on July 21.

Investigators do not believe Brown is in any way connected with the series of unsolved attacks along the Esplanade in the summers of 2007 and 2009.